Many watch collectors will be more familiar with Montblanc as a leading name in pens, but they will perhaps be less experienced with their horological offerings. Nonetheless, Montblanc has an extensive portfolio of models that includes anything from humble three hand dress watches all the way to tourbillon chronographs. Their watches are the result of Montblanc design combined with Minerva know-how.
The best way to use this guide is for you to scroll down through the watches, stopping at models you find interesting. I’ve written brief descriptions of each model, but much more information is available by clicking the link at the start of each collection. Remember that, because it would be prohibitively long, I’ve only included one or two examples of each model of watch, where there might be four or five total to look at, so make sure to visit those links if you find a watch interesting. There may be versions of it you like even more.
The Montblanc TimeWalker Collection is a line of watches designed to invoke the feeling of racing. They tend to have very bold bezels with highly legible dials, and they make a good collection for someone looking for a chronograph. Make sure to see every TimeWalker model, with more information, including pricing, here.
We’ll start with the TimeWalker Chronograph Automatic, which I view as probably the core of the line. As you can see, it uses very high contrast numerals against both their dial and bezel, aiding legibility. Despite their sporty and large 43mm design, the dial itself is actually somewhat refined, with a very pronounced sunburst. Obviously, all of these are equipped with a chronograph, a complication almost synonymous with racing watches.
A variation on the TimeWalker Chronograph is the TimeWalker Chronograph UTC, which, in addition to including a GMT hand, also has a rotating 24 hour bezel, so you can track up to 3 time zones with it.
There is an additional chronograph available, however, the TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph. As the name indicates, this uses an in-house chronograph movement, one of the more difficult kinds of movements to produce. Like the other chronographs so far, it remains 43mm, but it has a slightly vintage look to it, compared to the more modern members of the collection. A similar model is also available with the limited edition “Cappuccino” dial.
But the TimeWalker collection isn’t restricted to chronographs. You can also get some very clean 41mm 3-handers like these TimeWalker Date Automatics. Most of the collection is like the black dial, with a more contemporary look, while the beige dial on the right, when combined with its brown leather strap, has a touch of vintage to it. Although not a chronograph, the 60-unit applied numerals evoke the appearance of a stopwatch.
There are two special pieces in the TimeWalker collection, the first which is the Rally Timer Chronograph LE. Only 100 of these vintage-themed 50mm chronographs will be made.
The second, and more exotic, is the TimeWalker Exo Tourbillon Minute Chronograph LE. This 44mm watch features a fascinating take on a chronograph layout with a pointer date, and, of course, an exposed tourbillon at 6:00.
The 1858 collection is an entirely vintage line inspired by the Minerva watches of the ’20s and ’30s. It’s also arguably Montblanc’s most popular collection. As always, we can’t show you ever single different version of a watch in this article, so click here to see the entire 1858 line.
Probably the most popular model within 1858, and in my opinion, likely the single coolest watch Montblanc makes, is the Geosphere. This 42mm vintage watch, available in steel or bronze, features two functional, and luminescent, rotating hemispheres. Each turns with the passage of time, and the red dots show the locations of the Seven Summits Challenge. Models like this show that Montblanc is taking its watch business quite seriously and intends on making a mark.
If you like Montblanc’s 1858 vintage looks, but would prefer a chronograph, you might try one of these models. The 1858 Automatic Chronograph is available in either a 42mm steel or bronze case.
There is also a special limited edition called the 1858 Monopusher Chronograph, currently available only in this nice green. As its name would suggest, it’s a monopusher, but it also has some other differences from the Automatic Chronograph, specifically, that it’s hand wound, and it’s also a bit smaller, at 40mm.
Those looking for a dressier option in 1858 can enjoy the 1858 Automatic, which is available in either 40mm or 44mm steel cases with bronzes bezels. They look great and, thankfully, are absent an unnecessary date complication.
Alternatively, you could try the 1858 Manual Small Second, which in my opinion looks even better. As you may have guessed from the name, these use a seconds subdial and a manual movement. The only downside, at least for me, is that they’re currently all 44mm.
A similar watch is the 1858 Automatic Dual Time. Like the Small Second, it has a seconds subdial and is 44mm, but now it’s automatic and has a 4th hand, as well as a subtle day/night indicator below the 12:00 marker.
We last examine the 1858 Pocket Watch, a limited edition of just 100 pieces, honoring the 160th anniversary of Minerva with its in-house MB M16.24. The Star Legacy collection is a line of dressy watches that focuses on classic white and silver textured dials. See every Star Legacy model here.
Because it’s my favorite Montblanc watch of all, we’ll begin with the rather wordy Montblanc Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph, or the MBSLNRC for short. This 44.8mm watch features a monopusher chronograph, but its stunning looks are actually from Nic’s 1821 chronograph. On top of the chronograph complication, there’s a date, second time zone and even an AM/PM subdial at 9:00. Beautiful. The Montblanc Star Legacy Small Second 36mm models are clean, old-school dress watches that feature nicely textured dials and diamonds on their subdials and/or bezels.These 42mm Star Legacy Automatic Chronographs are there for those who like the overall Star Legacy design but want either the functionality of a chronograph or the more complex dial that chronographs usually provide. Despite the complication, it manages to retain a very clean, dressy look, perhaps in part due to those beautiful numerals.Available in either a 39mm or 42mm case, the Star Legacy Automatic Date is perhaps the most everyday wearable model in the line, although it could easily serve as a dedicated dress watch.
The Tradition Collection is probably the most understated and dressiest line of watches that Montblanc makes. Click here to see them all. The Tradition Collection starts out, humbly enough, with the 40mm quartz Tradition Date. It’s followed up with the stylistically similar Tradition Date Automatic, which, of course, lacks the quartz movement. It’s available in many different varieties, in either 32mm and 40mm cases. The closest thing to a sports watch you can get in the Tradition collection is this, the aptly-named Tradition Chronograph. This 42mm watch is available only with a quartz movement, although that ends up making it relatively affordable.
The Heritage Spirit collection also has its version of the Orbis Terrarum, with some subtle differences. In this version, the case is slightly smaller at 41mm, and the dial is substantially less colorful. I think I like the smaller size of this model more, but I prefer the more intense dial of the 4810 version.
We’ll start with the 44mm Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Exo Tourbillon Minute Chronograph, one of the most complicated watches Montblanc offers. Combining a tourbillon and a chronograph is no small feat, and I love that the chronograph’s actual layout seems to be borrowed from Montblanc’s beautiful Nicolas Rieussec.
The Summit collection is really a wide variety of versions of a single watch, specifically, the brand new Summit 2 smartwatch. The Summit 2 is available in a variety of looks, with a choice of stainless steel, with or without black DLC, and titanium. Each has a 390×390 display powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100.
So that’s our introduction to Montblanc! What’s your favorite? Did we miss anything or make any mistakes? Make sure to let us know!
Montblanc Tradition Automatic Date
